Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1887-07-28
Charles Broad,cay Rouss' House.

4
way Store-House 1868 Broadway. The
building is 100 feet frontage, with depth
of 200 feet, and many stories high. From
this journal we take the following:
This building, the third largest on Broad
way-the two Stewart stores being larger
was erected in 1878. The old concern was
destroyed in 1877. The value of the prop
erty is fraction over d million dollars.
Our Church street establishment could
scarcely fill up our present office room, our
warerooms here would hold it ffty-six times
over; ard yet in that unpretending little
rat trap we sold half million the first year
with rent at one dollar a day; our six clerks
and the proprietor drew the same modest
salary, and many the day that was square,
honest t,centy:four hours long that we never
quit, even our meals were brought in and
washed down with the mingled souls" of
corn, rye and wheat. OF the brave, histOr-
ic band four have fallen and Others fell in
and filled up the gaps; in turn, from these
ranks other sixteen generals were swept off
the busy stages, but others slept in and
swelled our little army to 159. Salaries
have changed too, except the leaders who
still draws the modest Church street pay.
Sales have swept beyond precedent up into
the millions, and on these seven floors are
auction values paid for, nearly one million
dollars. 1t is worth trip to this city if
only to sec what vast results may be claim
ed from absolute poverty 'cittOm money by
little capital in industry, enterprise and
perseverance. backed by a few iron MEN
with their shoulders to the big wheel, IL
ELEVEN YEARS. Over the desperate band
waved the historic flag, AUCTION GOODS"
upon one side and "NET SPOT CASH" upon
the other. 1t was struggle between the
giant of CREDIT and the liliputian of CASH.
1t was pure pluck ighting upon the right
principle, against monopoly on the grind
stone plan II was in a word, money
down" against "pay when you please"
Aggression, arm in arm with progression
never fights her battles on the defensive.
In the very teeth of King Credit, this au-
dacious handful of brains and backbone
and spunk threw down the gauntlet of war
and war to the knife and to the hilt and
the quick, and who will say that upon these
, daily battle-felds, the thirty day monster
with his delusion of four months has not
been driven from che field to another until
even the old regulars of unlimited time
have two price lists one for coin, the other
for credit. For money down, some OF these
dead IN the shell old timers will sell ut five
per cent. advance, or in desperation cases,
at prime cost or less, but when they are to
90 through the book of Joshua, Job and
.Jonah-the Office bible-they want ter,
fifteen and twenty per cent-thus the ter
rife tax on the time buyer 1ChO does pay is
eaten up by the queer, crafty and crooked
lcIo nercr pay. This, in a sentence, is the
difference between buying for bullion and
on thirty days-betwcen success and defeat.
On this historic spot the credit car has
humiliated and ground down into bone dust
lofty courage and magnificent intellectual
ability and integrity of the very highest or
der. but what are these splendid talented
children of ambition and genius between
the two mllstones of humiliation Ano-
ther master rules here to-day, and the ev-
erlasting and almighty dollar is king.
The total obliteration of vast volumes Of
capital that had forever disappeared upon
the lost pages of time and the perfect OBJ
livion that had passed over men of high
rank in courage and capital, the cold-blood-
ed fate that had swept these honored legions
of time from the very face Of the earth no
less than the marvellous success of one SIN
ale SPOT cash concern, has thoroughly sober
ed the mercantile masses upon the vital
questions ofthe hour. The number sharp
cash houses springing into existence upon
our methods and on the quick turning and
rapid sales, and the splendid success attend
ing all these changes attracts universal at
tention throughout the country; merchants
are beginning to see that they can well az
ford to sell at five per cent. profit when they
get coin instead of promises, and the retail
er finds he can do better, can make and
save more money on the twenty-five per
cent. system, leash before delivery" than
the old flint locker could with his one hun
dred on the pay day plan. And still more
conspicuous is this sweeping change in the
retail ranks; men of quick discernment
readily sec the big difference in the pros
perity of the fellow who made up his mind
to sell no more on credit-one year had pass
ed and people could scarcely realize or rec
ognize the vast change by simply jumping
the credit ruts into swift and meritcd prom
ineuce and popularity sledgc hammers
have magic attractions for people whose
wants are many and whose wealth will
barely run the wheels Of life. Retailers
and iobbers ask themselves this pertinent
and timely question "If the RouSs system
has led that concern from the lowest depths
that ambition had ever reached. and IN
eleven years drove them To- the very top un-
der plain. straight square rule that any
tyro can follow of only two words UNDER